Old Friends
by StakeTheHeart
Summary: Sequel to Double Trouble. Read that first. Mindy and Dave come up with an idea for a relaxing night out but their return to crimefighting quickly swerves into dangerous territory. One Shot


**Well, I finally came up with another crossover. I was originally not going to but I recieved encouragement to write another. Thanks for the advise Torontobatfan. Now, it's finished and I hope everyone who liked the first one will like this one too. Reviews are always welcome. Enjoy.**

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><p>I can't believe I'm going bowling with Dave. I hadn't been near a bowling alley ever since I lost daddy. I didn't want to for the longest time, but here I was, planning the night out with him. We decided it would be a fun relaxation time while we were still on vacation from crime fighting. Dave's arm healed well enough and I was all healed so he suggested the idea. I wasn't too sure but I agreed.<p>

"You can get a sundae," he said helpfully, trying to sweeten the deal; literally.

"Well shit now I have to go, don't I?" I answered playfully, knowing he was just trying to make the decision easy for me. I smiled and punched his arm.

"Ok, you have yourself a deal," I said as I picked up my coffee. We were currently hanging out at Atomic Comics. We made it a daily ritual during our vacation to stop by for some reason or another. We grew quiet after some time and comfortably shared the silence. There was no need to talk, so my thoughts drifted. I leaned my head on my hand and felt the fine scars on the side of my face. I had almost forgotten my deadly encounter with the vampire girl Abby and her boyfriend Owen. The injury to my face and stomach did end up scarring like I knew it would. I told everyone at school a dog attacked me. I swear it was fucking funny watching them worry about diseases and rabies and all these things I could have gotten. I soon found myself wondering where the two were and what they were doing.

"Are you ok?" Dave asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked at him and smiled.

"Yeah I'm fine, why?" I responded.

"You sighed. I just wanted to make sure you were ok," he replied, taking a drink of his coffee.

"Yeah I was just thinking of our two friends we made some time ago," I said. I could see him visibly tense.

"Do you think they are ever going to show up again? Abby said she might come back to visit and Owen will probably be right there with her," I reasoned. He shook his head.

"Honestly, I kind of don't want them to show up. I don't know about you but they scare me. I don't know how you got over the fact that you almost died fighting her," he replied, determined to not look me in the eye.

"Don't start. I don't want to hear it. You know those are fighting words," I said as a half assed attempt at a joke. I was trying to keep my temper down.

"I know, I know," he said, setting his cup down to hold his hands up in submission. I still glared at him.

"Whatever, I'm done with my coffee. Can we go now?" I asked, trying to keep my anger subtle. I knew he was fully aware of it though. He nodded and we left. We strolled down the street and with every step my anger dissolved into the cool night air. We rounded a corner and I subconsciously scanned the area by the park. That was a somewhat popular place for muggers for some reason. Dave followed my gaze and lightly put his hand on my shoulder. His touch immediately steered my attention away from the park and to him.

"Try not to slip into patrol duty ok? It isn't our problem right now," he advised me. I huffed out an irritated breath of fog. Truth be told, I was anxious as fuck to start going out again. I couldn't stand sitting around doing nothing. I liked spending time with Dave and sometimes with Marcus but I was already used to the action, thrill, and constant movement of crime fighting. It felt like ages since I held a gun let alone my bow staff.

"Why can't we make a quick run? It won't hurt any. Ok, how about I go and you stay since you obviously like being a lazy assed-" I stopped mid-sentence as I felt an odd sensation down my spine. I spun just in time to see a foot fly at me. I blocked and sidestepped out of the way, ready for a fight but I paused. A foot, a bare foot…Abby! My brain took seconds to figure it out and by the time I looked up she was right there in front of me. Strangely not at all menacing but I knew better. Owen slowly appeared from the shadows to stand next to her. They both smiled and waved.

"Nice reflexes hero. I see you are still keeping up with training," Abby commented.

"Yep, I can't slack even if I was attacked by the undead," I replied with a laugh. She laughed but Dave frowned.

"Hey I thought you said you didn't train?" he accused.

"I couldn't stop, are you crazy?" I asked.

"At least we know who to go to in a zombie apocalypse," Owen spoke up. I laughed my ass off. I couldn't help it. The last time I met Owen he seemed pretty serious, but that was a result of my rescuing him. Now he was all loose and friendly. I had a feeling this was his actual personality. Dave remained frowning.

"Oh loosen up Dave. Do you really think I would stop?" I replied.

"No," he grumbled.

"Well there you go," I said as I turned back to Abby and Owen.

"So how are you guys? I haven't seen you in a while. What brings you out here?" I asked.

"We were out…finding food, when I picked up on you guys. I wanted to stop by and say hi before I do anything that constitutes another attack from you," Abby replied good-naturedly. I laughed.

"No problem, as long as you help cut down the asshole gene pool. That would help a lot," I suggested. Owen nodded.

"After meeting you guys Abby suggested we only choose criminals as an alternative. I have to admit it keeps our conscious clear," Owen stated.

"No wonder I haven't really been seeing anything going on. Did you guys stay in the city after all?" I asked. They both nodded.

"The city turned out to be a great hiding spot and there are millions of people," Abby stated.

"Well, you made my job easier because you see, Dave here suggested we take a break and I was worried the streets would be overrun in our absence but it seems you guys took care of it. That's a relief. Thank you," I said. They just nodded and smiled.

"I don't want to hold you guys up for anything so I'll let you go. We have things to take care of too," Abby said.

"Ok, will we see you around?" I asked.

"Maybe," Owen replied.

"Why don't you guys come with us tomorrow night to the bowling alley? It would be fun to have you guys along," Dave suggested suddenly. I looked at him with surprise. What the fuck? He went from moody Mr. I-Don't-Want-Anything-To-Do-With-Them to Mr. Hey, Let's Go Hang Out. I wasn't complaining though. Even though they almost killed me, I kind of liked these two.

"Ok, that sounds like fun. I've heard of it but I don't quite know how to play," Abby replied with some hesitance.

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever played," Owen said.

"Then let's meet outside the theater for old time sake. The bowling alley isn't too far from there," I suggested.

"Sounds good, we will see you there as early as possible," Abby said with a knowing smile. Owen nodded and together they walked off down the street. I turned to Dave to stare at him curiously.

"What? I saw how well you get along with them so I thought a little hang out time wouldn't hurt right?" he said hurriedly as he took my hand and began walking. His touch momentarily threw my mind off track but I quickly got a grip.

"Thanks," I responded gratefully.

"To be completely honest I thought it would be good for both of us. New friends, comrades, allies, you name it. They could help us mow down the criminals in this city. Hell, they could be our secret weapon," he commented with a laugh.

"I thought I was the secret weapon?" I said. He shook his head.

"No, you're the known weapon that kicks real ass and scares the crap out of criminals. They could literally be our unknown weapon," he explained with a smile.

"I hope you don't think we could use them and not give anything in return dumbass because I don't want to do that," I warned him despite feeling happy he thought highly of me. My grip tightened and he flinched slightly.

"No, of course not, we could…" he stalled.

"I could let them borrow the safe house if they need a place to stay. That way they are close at hand. We usually go out at night anyways. Plus, we won't always need them and they can still continue doing what they want," I said, starting to get excited at the prospect of having supernatural creatures kicking bad guy ass with me. I began making plans and tuned out Dave who only got my attention after yelling at me.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"I said, how do you think they will react? I mean, is shelter worth a trade for their service?" he wondered.

"I don't think of it like that Dave. They can be good friends if given the chance. If they don't want to that's fine. I would still like to offer them the safe house though. Who knows where they're staying now?" I explained. Dave shrugged.

"Exactly, now come on, walk faster. I want to get home and get a good sleep for tomorrow. I'll race you," I challenged. He smiled and shook his head.

"Ok," he replied. I took off in a sprint and he followed. I easily outstripped him but he was beginning to get closer at one point. We skidded to a stop at our halfway mark where we usually split up. Unlike other people, we weren't afraid of walking at night. Until now, no one bothered us.

"Catch your breath lazy ass," I said calmly. Dave was slightly panting but no worse for wear.

"I'm proud to be lazy," he teased back, knowing I wasn't serious. I shook my head and smiled.

"See you tomorrow then?" I said as I stepped forward to hug him. He returned my hug and nodded.

"Yeah, see you later," he replied. We let go and turned to go our separate ways. I glanced back at him once before picking up the pace. I got back home and went straight to bed. The house was empty so I guessed Marcus had a late shift tonight. As I changed I examined the scar on my stomach and wondered how in the hell I went from trying to fight a vampire to the death to wanting that very same one to go hang out months later. I traced the scar one last time, remembering the moment, and then dropped my shirt over it. I hopped into bed and tried to relax. It took me some time but I finally drifted off to sleep.

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><p>The bright morning sun blinded me when I woke up the next day. I grumbled and got out of bed to shut the blinds. I did my morning stretches before working out some and then taking a shower to get ready for the day. After I got dressed, had some breakfast, and sat down to talk to Marcus, I headed out. I thought about how glad I was my grounding sentence had been up. Marcus let me hang out with Dave but he wouldn't let me go anywhere else besides our Atomic Comic pit stop. It wasn't like I had any friends to hang out with but I didn't tell Marcus that. I wanted him to feel like he had something over me.<p>

The only thing I did miss out on when I was grounded was a trip to the safe house to take care of the equipment. That's where I was headed today. It was a Saturday so I thankfully had no school. I didn't know what Dave was doing so I pulled out my phone and sent him a text, asking him if he wanted to join me at the safe house. He didn't answer until I stepped into the safe house and locked the door. He sent me a text saying he would meet me there.

"Take your time Dave. It's not like I wanted you here," I mumbled sarcastically to myself as I picked up the first gun and began taking it apart. I got through five before he showed up, granted I could clean guns pretty fast so I didn't get too upset with him. I did punch his shoulder though.

"Ow, what the hell did you do that for?" he whined as he rubbed his shoulder.

"For making me wait," I replied simply before returning to the table to continue cleaning. He frowned but silently walked over and started helping me. I had taught him how to handle and clean guns respectively even though he told me he wouldn't want to use one unless he needed to. My thoughts slowly drifted to the times I spent cleaning weapons with daddy. From there I ran through my most memorable moments with him. Before I knew it, I sighed in slight sadness and set down the gun I was holding in mid deconstruction. Dave glanced at me with concern.

"Fuck," I cursed before turning away to pace around the room. I walked around the small space three times before sitting on the mattress in the corner. Not too long ago Dave set me down here to rest after a fight with Abby. Dave watched me and then set down the gun he was cleaning. He walked over to me and kneeled down. He stayed silent before gently laying his hand on my shoulder.

"Are you ok?" he hesitantly asked.

"Yeah, just once in a while I think about him," I replied, knowing he would understand who I meant.

"Do you usually lapse into this or is it on and off?" he asked with some worry.

"On and off; I don't really think about him. Well, actually I just try not to," I explained. I looked up into his eyes and knew he was contemplating something.

"Are **you **ok?" I asked him curiously. His eyes cleared from his zoned out state and he shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" he questioned.

"I almost lost you there," I said with a small smile.

"Don't worry I'm back," he replied.

"Where did you go?" I asked playfully.

"Back to when I first met you guys," he replied. My smile almost slipped but I held it.

"You were a dumbass did you know that? I mean, you still are but I helped man you up," I responded teasingly. He laughed.

"Yeah you did; thank you for that," he said as his hand moved to hold mine. Our eyes locked and that feeling I had back in his room the night after fighting Abby for the last time started to resurface. I leaned forward and hoped to whoever was listening that we weren't interrupted this time. I only got half my wish it seems. Dave leaned forward but kissed my cheek at the last minute. I was still a little flustered none the less but tried not to show it. I didn't know how Dave was capable of breaking down my brooding mood but he always did. I turned away and cleared my throat.

"Are you going to help me with the rest of the equipment or are we going to sit in a corner all day accomplishing nothing?" I said sternly. He stuttered momentarily but when I smiled he stopped.

"Yeah I'll help you. Come on," he said with a small tug on my hand. He let it go and lead the way back to the table. We slowly started cleaning again but the pace soon sped up and we were done with sun to spare. While we worked, neither of us brought up the strange but tender moment a few hours ago. Instead we talked about random topics.

I was pretty sure we were both embarrassed but I was confused. I couldn't possibly **like** Dave that way could I? I dismissed the thought for now and refused to pick up on it today. We put away all the equipment and left the safe house to hang at Atomic Comics before the sun set and we had to meet Abby and Owen outside the theater. We cruised down the street but decided to take a detour through the park instead.

"Hey, I'll race you through the jungle gym. First one to climb up the slide, jump across the bridge, balance on the bar, swing across the monkey bars, and jump over the seat of the swing without eating shit buys the other a coffee," I bargained, breaking the silence between us since we set out.

"Ok, deal," he replied with a smirk. He held out a hand and I grasped his tightly in mine. His smirk almost turned into a pained smile, prompting my trademark smirk. We shook and he flexed his hand when I let go. We reached the jungle gym and I stood ready in a position not too far in front of the slide. Dave followed and stood next to me.

"On the count of three. One, two, three!" Dave exclaimed. As the word three left his mouth my muscles already began to shift into motion. I took off for the slide and took the one on the right while Dave took the one on the left. The slide was a combination of three stuck together. The left was in the shape of a wave, the middle was smooth, and the right was bumpy. As I easily scaled the ideal terrain I wondered what dumb fuck made the slide. It obviously didn't look like kids would have fun breaking their ass bone on the way down. I made it to the top slightly faster than Dave and turned sharply to jump the small bridge.

"Don't fall behind!" I teased him as I bounded over it swiftly. I landed as light as I could on my toes before pushing off and landing on the bar that would lead to the monkey bars. I heard Dave land behind me and laugh. I noted the happy tone and smiled. I began walking across with no problem before leaping and grabbing onto the first bar of the monkey bars. I heard Dave right behind me so I swung out to each bar one after the other as fast as I could. When I got to the other side I risked a glance back at Dave who was having a little bit of trouble keeping his long frame from dragging his feet in the sand.

"You're lucky you fit on these damn things!" he huffed out as he swung. I shrugged and jumped from the jungle gym to sprint to the swings. Dave surprisingly caught up to me right before I got close enough to make the jump between the chains holding the seat up. We leaped at the same time but Dave didn't do it as cleanly as I did. I jumped with my hands outstretched; making my body as straight as an arrow so that I arched right through to pull into a neat roll. I jumped to my feet and turned to see Dave with a leg stuck in the chains and his face in the sand. I shook my head and burst out laughing.

"Let me guess, you jumped with your legs still under you didn't you?" I asked mockingly. He yanked at his foot and was released but his shoe was pulled off and it tumbled into the sand were it immediately gathered sand.

"Shit," he said as he pulled it out of the sand and shook it off, all the while trying to keep his sock covered foot from touching the ground. He successfully emptied the shoe and put it back on. Then he got up and dusted himself off.

"I guess you won," he said after he finally made his way over to me. I smiled and nodded.

"It looked like a tie until the last part. Let's go get a coffee and head home to get ready. It's almost time to meet them," I said as I tugged at his sleeve and started on the track again to Atomic Comics. He looked at me and rolled his eyes, knowing I wouldn't go anywhere without taking a shower first after rolling in dirt.

"Don't start complaining. I know that look. Now hurry up, you still need to get me a coffee," I reminded him with a smile. He smiled too and together we finally got to Atomic Comics. We didn't spend a long time there. After getting me a coffee, Dave sat and waited for me to finish. I drank half and gave the other half to him. When he finished we went home long enough to wash off and then meet at our halfway mark.

"Did you even take a shower?" I accused when I saw him at least in a different change of clothes.

"Of course I did. What do you take me for?" he answered with fake offense.

"A boy," I answered simply. He laughed.

"Ok, I'll give you that," he said. We began our walk to the theater and when we got there, Abby and Owen were waiting right were we saw them before. They saw us almost immediately. I waved and jogged the rest of the way over to them.

"Hey guys, ready to go bowling?" I asked. They nodded.

"Good, come on I'll show you the way," I said as I turned and started walking. They followed at a close distance and Dave walked right beside me. I glanced at him to see a small smile on his face. I hesitantly brushed his hand and he looked at me. I smiled and his grew. His hand wrapped around mine and pulled me slightly closer.

When we finally stood outside the bowling alley I stopped to stare at it sadly. Abby and Owen looked at it with tilted heads and curious expressions. Dave sensed my sadness and lightly squeezed my hand. I sighed and started forward. We walked through the doors to a blast of loud noises. People screamed and cheered according to their games. Children fought or cried due to sibling rivalry and the drunks were already at it. Tonight was busy.

"So far, I kind of see how being here is fun," Owen said a little distastefully as he eyed the drunks. Abby frowned but said nothing. I lead them to the counter and Dave took care of getting our shoes and a game going. I took the time to explain the game to Abby and Owen. They listened with rapt attention.

"Here we go guys. We're all set," Dave said as he turned to us.

"Let me know if something doesn't fit I'll get different ones," he said as he passed them out to each of us. We found a spot to sit down and take off our current shoes. I happened to glance at Abby as I put mine on and saw her look at the shoes with an expression of thoughtfulness.

"What's up?" I asked her.

"I'm just wondering how many people wore this shoe before me. It obviously shows its age," she commented, turning the shoe every way to examine it.

"Well I guess each one does have a history. Like, look at this spot on the side of my shoe," I said, pointing to the spot.

"Someone could have either dropped a drink on it, or maybe got in a freak accident and got blood on it, or-" I continued but Dave groaned.

"Mindy please don't tell them your theories behind bowling shoes. It's twisted sometimes," Dave warned me.

"Oh come on Dave, don't be such a pansy. I'm sure it won't hurt them to hear; unlike your delicate mind. I was pretty sure you would have tossed your lunch at Rasul's place. Cutting up people doesn't sit well with you does it?" I teased.

"I was half freaked out by the fact that a little girl did all that," he said defensively.

"That seems to be his problem," I whispered to Abby, referring to our recent fight and the injuries I received as a result. She smiled and Dave stopped his continued babble to glare at me. Only Owen was listening to what he had to say.

"Ok, how about we start this game and stop bagging on me," he said as he stood and walked to the bowling ball shelves. We followed behind him. I gave Abby and Owen advice on which ball to choose according to weight and what they could pick up.

"Shit, I just realized you guys could probably pick up even the heaviest ball," I said.

"Well, our strength doesn't show up until close to or after the change. We are at human limits otherwise," Abby explained. I continued my explanation after that and then we moved on to the game.

"Ok so, I think tonight should be boys against girls. Only because I like picking on Dave," I said with a smile at him. He smirked.

"Ok, that's not a problem. Owen, you're with me," he replied gesturing to Owen. He walked over to stand next to Dave. I took Abby aside with my arm slung over her shoulder.

"Look, I'm really good at bowling so Dave has no chance against us. You and Owen haven't played before so we aren't sure what you can do yet," I said.

"As long as you keep me updated on what's happening I will help in any way possible," she assured me.

"Ok Dave we're ready. Let's see what you can do," I told him. The game finally began. Dave and I were intensely competitive. Abby and Owen went along with the game calmly, only getting slightly competitive. For two people who have never played the game they did pretty well. Besides asking about terminology, they were incredibly accurate. Owen made up for Dave's sloppy moves but Abby and I both had pinpoint accuracy.

"Looks like we're pulling ahead Dave," I commented. He frowned and shook his head.

"We'll catch up," he disagreed.

"Yeah sure, I'm going to get my sundae. Do you want anything?" I called to him. He stopped mid swing to look at me.

"Are you doing this to distract me?" he asked.

"No," I replied, but I couldn't keep the smile off my face. His eyes narrowed but he continued to take his turn.

"I'll be right back," I told Abby as I passed her. She nodded and returned to the game at hand. I got my sundae and sat at a nearby table. Both the guys and Abby took their turn and were waiting on me now. I stood and handed it off to Dave to hold so I could take my turn. When I turned back around, Dave was absentmindedly eating it.

"Hey! What the hell dude?" I exclaimed.

"What?" he asked.

"You ate my sundae!" I told him incredulously. Owen laughed and Dave went wide eyed.

"Don't you know better than to take a girl's food? Owen does," Abby said with a devious smile at the boy. Owen stopped laughing and looked at Abby sheepishly.

"I would buy her another one if I were you Dave. Girls are notorious for getting what they want," he stated, shooting a look at Abby. I heard her growl quietly. It was a long time since I heard such a thing from her. He smiled and shrugged.

"I can't help but feel that you two are strangely similar in every way. Ok, I'll go get you another one. It's Owen's turn anyways," Dave said as he looked at us and then hurriedly left.

"What got you in trouble?" I asked Owen after he took his turn. He turned to me and glanced briefly at Abby.

"I wanted to share but she didn't," he replied simply.

"You did not. You were trying to have it all to yourself," Abby grumbled.

"No fighting here guys," I advised. Abby sighed and took her turn. I followed after. By the time my turn was done, Dave came back with another sundae.

"Thanks" I said sincerely as I took it from him. I sat on the chairs close to the game instead of at the tables. The policy stated that there shouldn't be any food past the tables but I didn't care. Fuck them, I was playing a game. We continued playing and by the end, Abby and I won. We smirked at the boys who looked pissed off.

"This is so unfair," Dave muttered.

"No it's not. You have Owen so your low grade accuracy is made up for," I told him.

"Yeah but you got heightened accuracy almost as good as Abby," he whined.

"Whatever, your just a poor sport," I countered.

"No I'm not," he said in denial.

"Yes and two girls beat you," I boasted, knowing he was getting irritated.

"I got used to being beat up by a girl ever since I started training with you," he shot back.

"What's wrong with a simple lose Dave? It's only a game," Owen spoke up before I could retort. Dave didn't answer so I stood to leave my glass on a table.

"Let's go guys. The night is almost over," I said. Abby and Owen nodded and followed me out. Dave followed behind them. I began walking to the safe house automatically when Abby caught up to me and tapped my shoulder.

"We need to get going," she told me.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Why don't you crash at my safe house? No one knows about it and only Dave or I ever enter," I offered. Abby looked at Owen after intense thought and he nodded to her.

"Ok, thank you Mindy," she said gratefully.

"No problem. If you don't have a place to stay, you can stay there. I really don't mind," I continued. Abby's face lit up in a relieved smile.

"Owen and I have been trying to find a place to stay but we can never find a safe place. We are too vulnerable in the morning to risk being discovered," she explained. Dave caught up to us at that moment.

"And if you want to go out on patrols with us that would be cool too, either way you'll have a safe place to stay and food close by. Whenever you want to go out with us, let us know. We would love to have you join us stop crime in the city," he said. I studied his mood and figured he wasn't angry anymore so I reached out to apologetically brush his hand with mine. He smiled a little when he looked to see what touched him and then covered my hand in his.

"Don't you worry about the criminal's death?" Abby wondered.

"No, if they don't stand down I kill them. I try not to, but it happens," I replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, Mindy has killed many people herself. Maybe just as gruesome," Dave said as an afterthought. I nodded in agreement.

"Ok, we'll stay there then, but if at any time you want us to leave we will," Owen said.

"That won't be necessary. I'm being honest when I say you guys are welcome to live there," I protested. I looked up at the building which hid the safe house. We went around the back and entered. I opened the door and entered with Dave right behind me.

"You can come in," I said over my shoulder before disappearing into the kitchen. I dug through drawer after drawer trying to find tape.

"Shit, where did I put it?" I mumbled.

"Are you looking for this?" Dave asked, holding up the thick green tape. I snatched it from his hand and began tapping up the only window in the room. Abby and Owen had already made their selves at home on the mattress.

"You guys look completely innocent like this," Dave commented as he looked at them with a thoughtful hand on his chin. I finished darkening the window and used a little more to make sure not a single ray of light came in.

"Well, that takes care of that," I said with a sigh of relief. I threw the tape on a nearby desk when I walked over to them. We sat around relaxing until the sun began to rise. Abby and Owen were leaning on each other. I told them to get some sleep so they laid down. Dave handed me a blanket which I threw over them. I knew they probably didn't need it but it felt weird to not give them one. Abby grabbed the edge and pulled it over both of them so they were completely covered before going still.

"The sun must be out now," Dave said as he checked his watch. I yawned in reply.

"Damn, I've been up all day and all night," I said.

"We always do that," Dave replied.

"Yeah, well I want to go to sleep too now. Maybe just a nap," I told him, walking back to the door.

"Did you tell Marcus you would be out this late?" Dave asked.

"Oh fuck! I have to really go now," I exclaimed, picking up the pace. Dave ran after me as I shut and locked up the door. I ran to the exit and out the door as fast as I could.

"Wait Mindy! Let me help you explain to Marcus," he offered as he ran beside me.

"Dude, you can't. What if he's suspicious I'm out this long with you. Either he would think I went out patrolling again or…" I began to say.

"Why would he care? He knows you go out patrolling," he answered in confusion.

"No. I told him I wouldn't for at least another week to assure him that I'm really ok," I responded with some guilt.

"Oh, what else were you going to say?" he questioned with honest curiosity. I barely fought the blush rising in my face.

"Nothing, forget about it asshole," I said a little too sternly. He looked at me with a strange expression before going quiet. I ran the whole way home knowing it wouldn't make a difference whether I got there now or later. I burst in the house to confront a fuming Marcus. He went on a huge tirade about staying out longer than I said I would and asked if I was patrolling or if I was just going through a rebellion phase. I stood there and let him vent. Dave tried to interrupt once or twice but was easily silenced. Help explain my ass. He ordered Dave to go home and then glared at me.

"Marcus, all I can say is sorry. I really didn't mean to stay out so long but time flies when you're having fun," I said.

"Do you still think killing is fun?" he questioned heatedly. I looked away and refused to look at him.

"I do what I have to Marcus. I help people regardless of how it's done," I replied, my anger slowly rising but I held it down. Marcus sighed and put a hand over his face.

"I'm never going to get Damon's brainwashing out of you am I?" he asked quietly. I shook my head, not bothering to correct him.

"Good night Mindy," was all he said before hugging me tightly and then dragging his feet to his room. I stared; stunned that he dropped the subject.

"I figure if you're old enough to take this 'job' seriously then I will treat you like an adult. Punishing you will get us nowhere. I know you would still go out. So feel free to do what you think is right, but just be very careful and don't be afraid to ask for help," he said as he looked back at me. I nodded. He continued to his room and left me standing there confused. I slowly walked to my room on autopilot. I sat at the edge of my bed and cleared my thoughts before falling back on the bed for a quick nap.

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><p>I woke to discover my room was shaded like the sun was going down. I looked outside the window and saw that it was.<p>

"Hell, a quick nap turned into an all-out sleep," I groaned before stretching out. I worked out for a while before throwing on my suit and grabbing two guns, a thick knife, a butterfly knife, and my bow staff. I would need to pick up the ammo when I got to the safe house. I hopped out the window and ran back to the safe house, using as much cover as possible. When I got there, Dave was already seated in a chair, in full suit, waiting for me. I busied myself with loading the guns as I talked to him.

"You wanted to be here too? Why are you suited up?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied.

"Marcus and I had a falling out. He basically told me I could go out when I wanted to so I'm taking advantage tonight. I'm going to try talking to him later though and try to straighten things out. He doesn't seem like he's doing so well. Do you think daddy's influence on me really affects him?" I wondered.

"Yeah, I just wanted to go out too. I don't know why Marcus overreacts but he cares for you Mindy. Whatever happens, I agree with you. Go back and talk to him," he said as he stood to give me a hug. I put the guns in my belt and returned his hug. I pulled back enough to look up at him. He smiled warmly and put his hand on my cheek. I felt my heart race but the feeling was interrupted by a low growl. We both stepped away and turned to look at Owen.

"Will you two stop? I can't take the sound of your hearts speeding like that," he complained as he rose from the mattress with his hands over his ears. Abby climbed over him and stood, leaning on a nearby table with her hand on her stomach. I could hear it rumbling from where I stood. Dave immediately went from tender to terror in a blink of an eye. He grabbed his mask and pulled it on, looking at me expectantly.

"Let's go kick some ass," I said with my trademark smirk. I slowly approached Owen who looked the calmer of the two.

"Get Abby and whatever you do, try to warn us before anything happens," I told him. He nodded and whispered something softly to Abby who nodded and allowed him to lead her by the hand. We left to scour the streets via the back alleys. Abby and Owen's senses immediately went to work. I busied myself on the look-out for anything suspicious. Abby and Owen stayed hidden in the shadows.

Not too long later we came across an abandoned building with some men dressed in very nice looking suits. They each wielded some kind of weapon. There were eight of them and only three victims who were tied together and wore a cloth bag over their heads. Abby and Owen chose to stay well away from me and Kick-Ass to avoid any failing control issues while Kick-Ass and I went in for a closer look. We crouched under the broken window and listened to the conversation inside.

"What were we supposed to do with these worthless nobodies?" A gruff voice asked everyone at large.

"The boss said to kidnap them and wait here. That's it, now keep your guard up," A gravelly voice answered seriously.

"I'm going to find another way in to surprise them. You enter only after you hear I've got in," I told him, starting to stand. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back down.

"Not that I don't trust you will pull this off but what about the other two?" he asked.

"I'm sure the dinner bell will call them in," I replied with grim smile. His eyes widened and he let me go.

"See you after the carnage," I said in farewell before running around the building. I climbed the rusty fire escape and found a sky light. I eased myself through after inspecting where I would land. I caught myself as quietly as possible on some boxes stacked pretty high.

"What do you think the boss wants with civilians? I mean, I know he might have a reason for kidnapping a cop but what about the old man and the girl?" the one in green wondered. My breath hitched when I heard them describe the hostages. I prepared myself before launching off the boxes with my knife in hand. I landed next to the hostages and caught the attention of the nearest guard. He raised his gun but I threw my knife into his neck before he could say or do anything.

"Hey guys look, it's the purple bitch," the big man in grey said with a smirk. The others turned from their posts to surround me.

"We were waiting for you," he continued before pulling out a shotgun. At that moment, a loud crack echoed through the room and the man in blue was floored, blood leaking out of his cracked skull. I smirked and saw Kick-Ass standing behind the fallen guard. He dodged a swipe from a guard carrying his own knife but got caught by another with a metal bat. I ran forward to pitch in my own kills when a snarl nearby make me skid to a stop. I caught a glimpse of Owen climbing the boxes and followed his progress to see Abby walking in with the most innocent expression I ever saw. I could tell this wasn't going to end well for these jackasses. They all stopped to look at her.

"Well look who we have here, our day just keeps getting better and better," the one in grey sneered. He snapped his fingers and a man in full black grabbed Abby from behind. She whimpered and tried to pull away while he laughed. I knew then that she had them fooled hook, line, and sinker. While he held her the others turned back to me and Kick-Ass. In no time, the battle began. The man in green ran at me and I easily sidestepped to be swung at by another with a machete. I rolled out of the way and popped back up with my butterfly knife in hand. I flippped it out, opting for no flashy tricks and jumped forward.

I swiftly cut his throat but received a quick punch from the other, making me drop the knife. I blocked his kick and glanced at Kick-Ass who was trying to fight two as well. They kept getting hits in with the bat and pipe but his fucked up nerve endings were serving him well. The last two guards were the one in grey and the one in black who had their attention on Abby. I returned to the fight at hand to narrowly dodge the man's machete. It whizzed through the air and planted deep into one of the boxes. I slid across the floor to retrieve my knife. I returned to the man trying in vain to loosen the weapon and slashed his back. He released his hold on it with a cry. When he turned I jump kicked him in the chest and then threw my blade at him. It buried into his stomach.

A terrified scream startled all the fighting men. I risked a glance at the man in grey who had a very angry Owen latched on his shoulder. He must have jumped from the boxes like me. The man in black screamed too when Abby took the opportunity to bite into his arm wrapped around her. The machete whistled past once more and I turned to see the man I was fighting back up and ready to go despite the blade sticking out of him. I pulled out my bow staff and parried his blow. I sidestepped and struck, opening his arm up. He grunted in pain but kept coming at me.

Kick-Ass managed to beat one of his opponents down but the other was persistent and kept knocking him on his ass. I unleashed a flurry of swings and practically diced my opponent. I severed his head before his body fell heavily. By this time, Owen had ripped the head off the man in grey and Abby ripped the arm off the man in black. Together, they fiercely tore into their would-be attackers. I kept my eyes trained on Kick-Ass who was limping but still in the fight.

I noticed his opponent had a broken wrist and was forced to use his left hand which was making him very unwieldy. I watched as the baton finally found an opening and smashed in the man's face. He collapsed in a heap. Kick-Ass was panting slightly and I could already see blood and bruises on his face. Despite that, he smiled at me. I returned it and looked for Abby and Owen. They stood side by side near the door, both covered in blood and looking for any more men that could show up. They both wore a content smile and held hands. Abby caught my eye and then flicked to the hostages. I nodded and pulled Kick-Ass with me.

"No need to be pushy Hit-Girl, I'm a little bruised," he told me. I could hear the playfulness in his tone though so I slapped his arm. He flinched in fake pain and I shook my head. I kneeled next to the hostages and untied them one by one. Kick-Ass pulled off the cloth covering their faces and gasped. Mr. Lizewski, Katie, and Marcus sat in front of us. I threw myself at Marcus and hugged him tightly. I saw Dave do the same to his dad who looked surprised. Katie sat freaked out and alone.

"Dave? Is that you?" Mr. Lizewski asked. Dave pulled off his mask and nodded. His dad looked too stunned to say anything.

"Are you ok?" Marcus asked me.

"Yeah I'm fine, are you?" I asked him.

"Besides rope burned wrists I'll be ok," he replied.

"Who did this?" I questioned.

"I don't know. After I left for work I was caught when I stopped by the doughnut shop. I don't remember much after that," he replied.

"Yeah I don't remember past leaving for work too," Mr. Lizewski put in. I looked at Katie to see if she dropped dead from shock but she just passed out. Damn, I mean, poor Katie.

"We need to get everyone out of here," Dave said to me as he pulled on his mask. I nodded and helped Marcus to his feet while Dave helped his father up.

"Someone's coming," Abby warned as she ran over to us with Owen behind her. Everyone but Dave and I jumped back in shock. I wondered if they knew Abby and Owen were the ones making the animalistic sounds during the fight.

"Dave, you get them out of here. Abby, Owen, take me to this person before they get here," I commanded. They ran to the closest stack of boxes and started climbing. I went to follow but Dave pulled me back.

"What the fuck Dave! I need to follow them!" I exclaimed angrily.

"I know you're angry that whoever did this endangered Marcus but be careful," he warned.

"I know for a fact that motherfucking douche of a son Chris D'Amico did this," I shot back acidly.

"Even so, just, don't get so worked up you lose sight of keeping yourself safe," he said as he took my hands in his. I wasn't prepared for what came next. He pulled me forward and kissed me! It was soft, sweet, and simple but I was still blown away. He grinned at my expression before letting my hands go and ran to catch up with the others.

"Hurry Hit-Girl," Abby called from the top of the boxes. My name sounded weird coming from her. I ran and jumped on the nearest box and mad my way to them. We came out the sky light and came face to face with a guy in a black and orange leather suit. He smiled calmly behind the lion slash hockey mask he wore on his face. Even with the costume, I knew it was Chris D'Amico.

"You bastard!" I snarled in pure fury.

"Hold on Hit-Girl, no need to lose your temper just yet. I want you to see something first," he said. With that voice, I could never take him seriously. He pointed off the side of the roof and I slowly walked over enough to see down. I kept watching him out of the corner of my eye just in case. The others had just disappeared down an alley and to safety but Kick-Ass was coming back. I heard a distinguished click before my eyes widened. A shadow lurked on the building across from us.

"No!" I screamed before the shot rang out and echoed. I watched as he fell limply to the ground. I whipped out my two guns and fired at the shadow faster than anyone could react. I saw Dave's killer fall dead. I heard scuffling and looked back to see Owen run forward and jump off the roof to help Kick-Ass. I felt like I couldn't breathe but I still moved to level my guns at Chris. Abby had her teeth bared at him.

"I don't know what the fuck you are but my beef is with Hit-Girl," Chris mocked Abby. She snarled and launched forward so quick Chris couldn't stop her. She struck him across his face and tore his mask off with ease. It fell to the floor, a twisted mess while she attacked again. His face was next. I watched in silent satisfaction as his face was marred far beyond mine. He stumbled and fell with a squeal of pain. Abby backed up and then looked at me. I saw the primal side of her just itching to tear him up but she knew I wanted to do that.

"I'll help Owen with Kick-Ass and the others," was all she said to me before she sprinted to the edge of the roof and jumped. I walked over to a sniveling Chris. He was holding his face and uttering a string of curses I didn't think he knew.

"Just you and me asshole," I sneered. I raised my guns and was all ready to pull the trigger when he began to laugh.

"Stupid motherfucker," I growled as I put away one gun to grab him by the front of his suit and throw him on his back. The strings of skin hanging from his face irked me a little. With that amount of damage, he should have been groveling. I guess he was truly fucked up mentally.

"You're right, I am The Motherfucker and I'm going to get you, you little bitch," he hissed. I shot his leg and he screamed, but continued to mock me.

"So, I guess I finally figured out what happened to your face. Who are you keeping company with huh? Or should I say, **what** are you keeping company with. Yeah, I know all about those things. They had a knack for killing my men while you were on vacation," he said in a high voice. I shot another round into his other leg. I raised my gun to his head next when I felt a huge pressure against my chest and I was suddenly thrown back. I landed roughly before pushing myself to my feet. I looked down at my body and saw a bullet hole. I looked back up to see a tall man holster a gun and throw Chris over his shoulder. I raised my guns and fired a few shots at them but missed. When the man jumped from the roof, Chris flipped me off with a twisted smirk. I heard a metallic creak as they landed on a fire escape out of view. It screeched as they made their way down.

I screamed and dropped my guns. The anger and frustration was killing me. I pounded the ground relentlessly until I felt skin split under my gloves. A strong steely grip stopped me mid swing. I opened my blurry eyes to see Abby gaze down at me solemnly. She effortlessly pulled me to my feet and hugged me. I was surprised at first but quickly broke down. She silently comforted me until I was all cried out. Then I put away my guns and followed her back down the boxes. At the bottom, I sat and put my head in my hands. I felt her remarkably gentle touch on my shoulder and looked up at her.

"Everyone we saved is ok. Dave…they are doing everything they can for him," she told me softly. When I couldn't answer and only nod, she hauled me to my feet.

"Let's go back to the safe house. Owen is already there waiting outside for us," she said. She almost had to drag me back. I felt empty and lost. It felt like when I lost daddy except worse because I didn't have Dave to pick me up; because he was gone too. I was vaguely aware that we were moving faster and then I was standing at the door of the safe house. I invited the two in and looked around as I tried to pull myself out of my daze. Abby and Owen let me think and stayed quiet. I sat in daddy's chair and closed my eyes. When I opened them some time later I saw that Abby and Owen were curled up together on the mattress with the blanket draped over them.

"It must be morning," I rasped. I got up unsteadily and found a change of clothes. Then I jumped in the shower. When I was done I left a thank you note for Abby and Owen, locked up the safe house, and went home. Marcus mauled me with a tight hug when I got there. He spent the night worrying about me and comforting Mr. Lizewski, who was currently knocked out on the couch.

"Marcus is he…" I tried but I couldn't talk.

"He's stable now but it took hours to get him like that. The injury could have been fatal instantaneously but he was lucky," Marcus explained. I nodded.

"Did you want to see him?" he asked. I nodded again. He went to get his keys and then we drove to the hospital.

"I told the doctors it was a drive by shooting. We managed to get him there in time. His father worried himself sick staring at him on the hospital bed. Katie didn't want to stick around any longer than she had to. We made her go along with our story," he explained. I only nodded absentmindedly. We finally pulled into the hospital parking lot and Marcus was telling me what room he was in. Before I could comprehend what I was doing, I took off for the hospital. I heard Marcus call me but I couldn't stop.

"Don't leave me Dave," I pleaded to myself. The nurses tried to slow me down but I was determined. I busted into his silent and lonely room. He was lying on the hospital bed with his eyes closed. He just looked like he was sleeping. I slowly walked to his side and put my hand over his. I felt the tears and let them go. It was the last time I would allow myself to cry so freely. When I was done I was ashamed and guilt ridden. I stayed as long I could by his side. I fell asleep on a chair pulled close to his bed and used the side of the bed as a pillow. When I opened my eyes, his were open too. Without hesitating I pulled him into a big hug. I tried not to squeeze him to death but I was too excited.

"You're ok. You're alright," I gasped out.

"Yeah," he said in a weak voice. I pulled back and he put his hand on mine. I looked at the gesture for a while before I pulled him to me to kiss his cheek.

"Rest now, ok?" I said in a broken voice. He nodded and laid back.

"I'll visit you again after I kill Chris D'Amico," I stated with disgust. Dave didn't hear because he was already deep in restoring sleep. I kissed his forehead before finding Marcus in the waiting room talking to a nurse. I told him I wanted to go and then marched out to the car. I was going to head home to get a good sleep before suiting up and going back to the safe house. Just like what I did before for Big Daddy, I would avenge Dave. I would put together a plan with the help of Abby and Owen once they woke up. The following night I would strike, and then that Motherfucker was going to get fucked up.

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><p><strong>I intend to make another sequel but it all depends on the reviews. Let me know.<strong>


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